March is a busy time for birds the world over. On Ometepe Island, Nicaragua it is high parrot breeding season, which makes for very occupied parrot conservationists from BIOMETEPE, Flora and Fauna International, and One Earth Conservation. Dr. LoraKim Joyner recently worked in three communities on the island as part of the team climbing trees with yellow-naped amazon parrot nests to assess the health of the chicks. She then followed this up with a half day training on Parrot Care and Welfare. We thank the Ometepe Veterinary Clinic for their participation and commitment to parrot conservation on the island.
Yellow-naped Amazon parrot parents watching us climb the tree their nest is in
If you’d like to be part of this amazing project and see the beauty of this island, enjoy the pictures that follow, or join us in person in December for a Parrot Pilgrimage when we will pay homage to the parrots and people of this land. We led a similar trip to the island in 2017 and the pilgrimage idea was first attempted, but could not happen, in 2018. After several years of civil unrest and the COVID-19 pandemic, tourists have now returned in full force, as will we!
On the ferry to Ometepe Island, Nicaragua, with a great view of Concepción Volcano.
Our main transportation to get to parrot nests is on motorcycles
Some of the roads are more crowded and bumpier than others
The climbing team sets up the ropes they use to climb
Levis Hernandez sets up the endoscope camera, so he can see what
is in the parrot nest cavity - three chicks!
While people are climbing, some of us take a break under the tree
before the work starts for us land dwellers
Norlan Zamana Morales takes notes during a physical exam of a yellow-naped amazon parrot chick, who we treated for subcutaneous fly larvae
We concentrate on the yellow-naped amazon parrot, but we pay attention to all the species that live on the island, including this unusual species, the orange-fronted parakeet
It looks like a picture, but this is a video of a very still
orange-fronted parakeet chick ready to fledge
Some of the BIOMETEPE team after our time together
learning about the care and welfare of parrots